Knowledge Base

Metronome

The Metronome provides a steady click track using the Web Audio API, which means the timing is precise and doesn't drift like an HTML audio element would.

BPM — Set the tempo anywhere from 40 to 240 BPM using the +/− controls or by typing directly into the BPM field. The default is 120.

Time signature — Choose between 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4. The default is 4/4. The beat visualiser shows dots for each beat in the bar — the downbeat dot is orange; the other beats are green. As the metronome ticks, the active beat lights up so you can see the pulse visually without hearing it.

Start / Stop — Click the play button to start the click; click again to stop.

Persistence — The metronome remembers your BPM and time signature between sessions. Settings are stored in the browser, so the next time you open a note with a metronome, it opens at the settings you last used.

The metronome doesn't save any server-side data and doesn't appear to families in the Hub as an interactive element.

Tuner

Insert Tuner from the lesson note's tool picker or slash menu. Select a microphone, click Start listening, and allow microphone access if your browser asks. Play one steady note at a time. The tuner uses concert pitch with A4 at 440 Hz.

Pitch grid — Higher octaves appear at the top and lower octaves at the bottom. Each row contains twelve notes ascending from left to right, starting on your selected key's tonic. The sounding note's card lights up, and its horizontal line moves upward when sharp or downward when flat. Green means within ±10 cents of the target; red means sharp and orange means flat, with stronger colour for greater deviation. The live reading also shows the note, cents, and frequency.

Keys and scales — Select a key and choose Major, Natural minor, Harmonic minor, Major pentatonic, Minor pentatonic, or Blues (the six-note minor blues scale). Notes outside the scale are subtly greyed out but still respond when played. Choose No key for an unshaded chromatic grid starting on C. Key selection changes the grid's order and highlighting, not the tuning reference or instrument transposition.

Reference pitches — Click any note card to hear a short synthesised reference pitch. The sounding card is highlighted in purple. Click it again to stop, or click another card to hear a different note. You can also focus a card and press Enter or Space. Reference pitches work without microphone permission. If you are already listening, pitch analysis pauses during the reference tone and resumes shortly afterwards so the tuner does not read its own speaker output.

Quiet or unclear sound — The tuner checks quiet signals more carefully to reduce false octave jumps. If it cannot identify a reliable pitch, the previous reading clears and the display shows Signal too quiet or Listening for a clear pitch. Try moving closer to the microphone and singing or playing one steady note. Very faint sound or background noise can still prevent a reliable reading.

Instrument — Choose Voice (general), Strings, Winds, or Brass from the toolbar to match how the tuner judges a reading. Winds relaxes how clean a tone needs to be, since breath noise naturally rides the sound. Strings and Brass respond to a new quiet note faster, useful for runs and quick shifts, and adjust the vibrato averaging speed for typically slower bowed vibrato or faster lip vibrato. This does not change which notes are recognised or the tuning reference, only how confidently and how quickly the tuner reports what it hears. Changing it takes effect the next time you start listening.

Reduce hum — Turn on this toolbar setting if a steady electrical or mechanical hum (for example, a heater or fan) is stopping the tuner from getting a reliable reading. It narrowly filters out common mains-hum frequencies (50/60 Hz and their first harmonics) before analysis. It targets a steady tone, not general background noise, and may shave a few cents off notes that sit very close to a filtered frequency, so leave it off unless you need it. Changing it takes effect the next time you start listening.

Vibrato — Turn on this toolbar setting before playing or singing with vibrato. It averages the live reading over roughly one vibrato cycle so the needle settles near the centre of the note instead of swinging with each oscillation, as long as that centre stays in tune. It does not change which note is recognised, and it can be switched on or off at any time while listening.

Playing scales — Pitch analysis uses a short recent listening window for most singing and instrumental ranges, so the active card follows clean changes quickly. Lower bass notes automatically use a longer window because more sound is needed to measure their slower vibration accurately. The tuner briefly checks a new note before changing cards to avoid flashes caused by attacks, breath sounds, or harmonics.

Octave range — Use the up and down arrows to move the grid by an octave. If a detected note lies outside the visible range, click Above range or Below range to move towards it. The inline grid normally shows four rows, or two in a narrow note column.

Expanded view — Click the expand icon for a larger grid. Choose Auto, 4, 5, or 6 rows; the tuner shows as many as fit comfortably on your screen. Octave arrows remain available without scrolling. Collapse the view or press Escape to return to the note while continuing to listen.

Microphone — Choose an input from the microphone selector. Device names may become available only after granting permission. Changing the input while listening switches the tuner to that microphone. If a saved input is unavailable, the tuner tries the system default and tells you. Microphone preference is remembered in the current browser and shared with the recording tools.

Saved settings — Each tuner saves its key, scale, octave range, expanded-row preference, instrument, and the Vibrato and Reduce hum toggles with the note through normal autosave. Reopening that note restores its setup with listening switched off. There is no separate tool Save button. In a read-only Notes view, adjustments are temporary.

Stopping — Click Stop to release the microphone. Listening also stops when you leave the note, background the page, or start another tuner. Audio is analysed on your device and is not recorded or uploaded. The tuner is available in Notes; the Family Hub's static note preview does not render an interactive tuner.

Timer

The Timer has two modes, selectable before you start:

Timer mode — Counts up from zero. You can record laps as the timer runs; up to 20 laps can be logged. The elapsed time and all recorded laps are shown. This is useful for timing how long a student spends on a specific section or exercise.

Countdown mode — Set a target duration and count down to zero. Enter minutes and seconds directly, or use the preset buttons for 1, 2, 3, or 5 minutes. A circular progress ring fills as time elapses. When the countdown reaches zero, three short beeps play to signal the end. Preset buttons are there for quick setup without typing.

The Timer has no save step and stores no data. It runs entirely in the browser during the lesson. Families don't see a timer record in the Hub — it's a live-lesson tool only.

Performance Interruption Generator (PIG)

PIG is a focus-training tool. While the student plays, it randomly fires an interruption — a visual prompt, audio cue, or brief task — that they have to respond to before continuing. The goal is to build the student's ability to maintain composure and recover quickly when something unexpected happens during a performance.

Setting up — Insert the tool and click Save before starting a session. PIG needs to be saved to access the interruption library.

Frequency — Choose how often interruptions fire: Frequent (roughly every 8–15 seconds), Medium (every 15–30 seconds), or Infrequent (every 30–45 seconds). The actual timing is randomised within those ranges so the student can't predict the next interruption.

Categories — If the interruption library has multiple categories, you can filter to specific ones. Leave All selected to draw from the full library.

Running a session — Click Begin to start. The display switches to show "KEEP PLAYING — Continue performing!" while the student plays. When an interruption fires, the display changes to show the interruption prompt: an image, a label, and instructions for what to do. A countdown shows how long until the student should resume playing. They can also press Resume playing now to continue immediately. After the interruption, the tool returns to the performing state and queues the next one.

Sound — Interruptions may include audio cues that play when the interruption fires. A mute button in the header silences all sounds if needed. Muting takes effect immediately, even mid-session.

Stopping — Click Stop to end the session. The tool returns to its idle state and the display prompts you to press Begin for a new session.

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